Already have an account?
Get back to the

Josh Brolin Says He Was On a “Destructive Path” During 2013 New Year’s Day Arrest, Tried Heroin

Josh Brolin
Josh Brolin has opened up about his 2013 New Year's Day public intoxication arrest, and how he's tried heroin: "I was on a destructive path"

So far, Josh Brolin's 2014 is looking a lot brighter than his 2013. The Labor Day actor has opened up in a big way about his past drug use in a new interview with The Guardian, just over a year after getting arrested for public intoxication and ending his marriage to actress Diane Lane in 2013.

Related: PHOTOS: Hollywood's biggest bad boys

"It made me think of a lot of things," Brolin, 44, said of his Santa Monica, Calif. arrest to The Guardian. "My mom dying when I was in my 20s. All the impact that had on me that I hadn't moved past; I was always such a momma's boy," he said. "But I realized that I was on a destructive path. I knew that I had to change and mature. It was like I stepped back and saw the hamster wheel." (Brolin's mother Jane died in a car crash on his 27th birthday.)

Brolin was taken into custody just before midnight on New Year's Day in 2013. The incident led to a four-hour stint in jail, and he was released on $250 bail. At the time, he joked that the situation was a "pretty innocent thing" during an appearance on Good Morning America. Now, it seems he's changed his tune.

Related: PHOTOS: Stars at court

"I used to think you should try to deconstruct everything. Experience everything. Just get yourself out there. But I don't believe that any more," he continued to The Guardian. "Having adventures is all very well, but an imagination can make up for all that. That's the more intelligent way to be. And it keeps you out of harm's way."

Brolin, of course, speaks from personal experience. He also admitted that he's tried heroin before, and has lost many friends to the drug in the process. "That sounds so horrible when you put it like that. But, yeah, I tried heroin. I mean, I never got into it and I never died from it, which is a good thing," he said. "I've had 19 friends who died. Most of those guys I grew up with, they're all dead now."

Related: PHOTOS: 2013's biggest splits

The Gangster Squad star was also previously arrested in 2004 for a misdemeanor battery charge with his then-wife Lane, and in 2008 for a Louisiana bar fight. (The pair finalized their divorce in November 2013 after eight years of marriage.) As Us exclusively reported on Feb. 24, Brolin is currently dating his assistant, Kathryn Boyd.

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!